Carolina Motorsports parkT he new management team at Carolina Motorsports Park has worked all winter to make some major
improvements in their facility and they’ve rally paid off. A
reconfiguration of the western section of the course has improved the
rhythm and made driving the track a much more pleasurable experience. A
new timing and scoring control tower overlooks the front straight and a
covered garage area offers paddock space for up to 20 vehicles. Officials
from AMB used our event as an opportunity to test the loop and new timing
and scoring equipment which was set up during this weekend.
Once they had driven on the new track, both VDCA and BMW Club members commented about how pleased they are with the improvements, and drivers were generally delighted to find that the flow made for much faster lap times. A select and elegant cast of entrants once again graced our opening event at CMP. Saturday’s beautiful weather made for fast qualifying races. Many of our drivers were testing newly repaired and reconditioned equipment coming off the Winter’s hiatus. In Group A, Saturday, Davy Handy qualified .3 seconds ahead of Barry Durham’s Crossle in his Lola T200. The other Sasco boy, Jeff Horne trailed 1.1 seconds behind them in his Lola T202. Local Camden racer, C.C. Canada brought out his Shelby Mustang 350 GT. Carl George, Stan Heath and David Conrad fielded their MGA’s.
Once the BMW Enduro was finished Saturday afternoon, Larry Wilson hosted everyone, VDCA and BMW drivers alike, at Saturday afternoon’s beer and pizza party. Thanks to his generosity, everyone had a good time. Sunday’s racing was almost anti-climactic. Larry Wilson
dominated the Sunday morning Enduro in his Royale RP-17 sports racer as
expected, but Ron Monfils in his Porsche 911 and Allan Casavant in his
Lotus 7 finished second and third. John Daniels’ Austin Healey Sprite and
Stan Heath’s MGA raced for 4th and 5th. Jeff Horne suffered some mechanical mystery in his Ford so declined to run in Sunday’s Group A Feature Race, leaving Dave Handy to hold off Barry Durham’s Crossle on his own. The two Formula Fords ran a tight race for second behind Wilson’s Royale. Even the usually circumspect Chief Steward, Bud Merrill, commented over the net that theirs was a "great race." A little further back, Bill Eaddy and Rod Monfils turned in best times .1 second apart as they battled for 4th and 5th place. The Ringwraith’s banging and clanking and growling transmission kept it out of Sunday’s Group B race, leaving the field wide open for Doug Meis in his Honda S800. Doug White and Paul Meis raced to 2nd and 3rd respectively in their Vee’s even though Meis turned the faster time than White, by .15 seconds. C.C. White finished 4th in the Beach, and John Daniels’ Sprite edged out Bo Lemmon’s Formcar for 5th.
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Mike
Jackson’s newly restored Harvey Templeton FV, The Ringwraith,
appeared on a track for the first time in 25 or 30 years as he readies it
for its appearance at the Formula Vee Birthday Party in Savannah in April.
The Ringwraith qualified first in Group B. Doug White in the Zink
Z-5, C.C. White in the Beach MK 5C, and Paul Meis in his Zink C-4 and Bo
Lemmon in his "new" 1965 Formcar were also gearing up for the 45th
Anniversary of the Formula Vee marque which began with The Nardi in 1963.
Mark Craig and Johnny Johnson showed up with their Triumph Spitfires.
